Donald Trump welcomed Vladimir Putin’s praise for his leadership abilities, but warned the Russian president Wednesday night his compliments would not win him favor with the U.S. government.

“I think when he calls me brilliant, I’ll take the compliment,” Trump told NBC’s “Today Show” host Matt Lauer during a Commander in Chief forum. “The fact is look, it’s not going to get him anywhere. I’m a negotiator … the fact that he calls me brilliant or whatever he calls me is going to have zero impact.”